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At your level, do cross on the bottom, (I usually do it on left but I switched and my times are better now) just learn F2L and 2LLL. (last part maybe false lol), there is already a thread on this : https://www.speedsolving.com/threads/how-to-get-faster-using-the-fridrich-cfop-method.6085/

I already know 2LLL and F2L

Usually at your level it's just practice, practice and more practice if you already know F2L and 2LLL, typically, improving your F2L efficiency is for your case.
 

1cubealot

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I already know F2L but i use 2 Look OLL and full pll (apart fom one n perm)

And I do cross on bottom.
Should I becom colour neutral?
 

Zain_A24

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Ok then.

Also sorry
No problem.

The first step I would do is time my solves with splits. I'm assuming you do CFOP so I would recommend setting your cube solve timer to have 4 phases in which you press the timer 4 times within a solve to get 4 splits for Cross, F2L, OLL and PLL.

I would recommend you have a look at this thread:

After doing a bunch of solves, you will notice certain areas that are either slow or inconsistent. These will be the areas to work on, which are different for every cuber. A lot of cubers have F2L as an area of focus since it takes up the majority of the solve, so ensure you work on these steps:

- F2L Efficiency
- Appropriate Fingertricks
- Muscle Memory
- Effective F2L spotting

Muscle memory is when you solve an F2L pair "without thinking". This will become second nature once you have efficiency and fingertricks nailed down.

For last layer, ensure you are using the correct fingertricks. By correct I mean those that are most comfortable for you to execute quickly, which usually require minimal regrips. There are plenty of videos out there in which people show their algorithms and fingertricks. I would recommend trying a few out and see what you like - this may require you to relearn some algorithms.

For your cross, ensure you do it on the bottom and not the top. This will allow for lookahead, which is a stage I will not stress yet unless you have mastered all of the above. Give yourself more than 15 seconds if you need to try to place all 4 pieces relative to each other and realigning the cross. I would recommend executing the cross without looking at the cube for a bunch of solves and gradually, you will be able to inspect within the 15 seconds.

Hope that wasn't too much. You may have completed some of these steps already, but I hope this was of some help. Once we complete these steps, we can move on to lookahead, advanced F2L and other tricks.

I cannot stress enough that there are a wealth of resources out there on YouTube, this forum, other forums, and more. Even typing in "sub-20 3x3 comes up with a tonne of resources provided by the cubing community, and there is bound to be something in there that helps you and your cubing progression specifically.

Best of luck.
 

Zain_A24

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Thanks for the information. It is a shame that TwistyTimer doesn't have a split control (or does it, I'm not too sure). I would recommend timing the rest of your splits. F2L is influential in the times you get. For example, the 12.89 solve would have resulted in a slow solve in comparison to the 7.5 F2L solve (in general). I would follow the steps outlined in the above post on your F2L efficiency (back inserts, muscle memory etc).

It is also worth noting how to solve F2L pairs when the edge/corner is at the bottom in a slot, and messing around to see how you can bring them up into the top layer whilst pairing them up may be a good thing to do. Ultimately, keep solving and keep practising. It is not about if you will be sub-20, but when you will be sub-20, and it is all about putting in the time and enjoying the process.

Good luck
 

Zain_A24

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Absolutely as soon as possible. You will only have a harder time at switching. For me, I did it when I averaged around 1:30, and it took 30 minutes, but for sub-10 people, it can take months.

I agree. After muscle memory and months of filtering out yellow and focusing on white, it can be difficult to stop yourself on focusing on white and start picking out F2L pairs.
 
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And I do cross on bottom.
Should I becom colour neutral?
if you see yourself as being world class (or even sub 10) one day, become color neutral right now. It probably won't help you a ton now but I switched to dual CN when I averaged about 12 and it took me about 2 or 3 weeks of grinding every day. I'm now sub 9 and trying to become full CN by adding the red cross but it's just taking me so long. I'd estimate it would probably take about a week or less(maybe 2, depends how much you practice), for a sub 20 solver to become full CN
 

Kaneki Uchiha

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Mar 22, 2020
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also which na perm should i use
R U R' U R U R' F' R U R' U' R' F R2 U' R' U2 R U' R'
L U' R U2 L' U R' L U' R U2 L' U R'
z U R' D R2 U' R D' U R' D R2 U' R D' z'
r' D r U2 r' D r U2 r' D r U2 r' D r U2 r' D r


i like the wiide one the most
 

PetrusQuber

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I use the first Na, it’s just J Perm with extra stuff attached. I recognise J Perm as a solid block on the cube, which forms a J (or L for Ja Perm). There’s a 1x1x3 block with an edge attached on either side to form a J, and there are two pairs not part of the J.
 
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